Michael Casazza '14 prepares for a summer exploring the soil that supports an African nation.

Michael Casazza ’14 has spent a lot of time thinking about
agricultural ecosystems. As a junior majoring in Environmental Conservation
Studies at the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COSLA) within the
University of New Hampshire (UNH), Casazza is devoted to taking a science-based
approach, with a special focus on soil science, to the discipline.
“Agricultural systems are vital to our survival,” says Casazza, “but we’re
facing environmental problems such as nitrate leaching, salinization, and topsoil
and soil organic matter loss. I want to contribute to the data that will lead
to a more sustainable management system.”

As a research assistant in the Grandy Lab at the University
of New Hampshire (UNH), Casazza is conducting a subset of experiments within
the soil fertility projects of post-doctoral researcher Lisa Tiemann. As a 2012
recipient of a prestigious three-year $520,299 fellowship through
the National Science Foundation’s Science, Engineering, and Education for
Sustainability (NSF SEES) program, Tiemann has and will be sampling
soils from 150 diverse sites around Kibale National Park.

Casazza’s competency with processing and analyzing soil has
afforded him opportunities to further his studies farther afield. As a 2013 recipient
of an International Research Opportunities Program fellowship from the Hamel Center, Casazza will
travel with Tiemann to Uganda for nine weeks this summer to assist her
in ongoing research in a country faced with food insecurity due to rising
population levels and rapidly diminishing soil fertility.

Casazza acknowledges that this opportunity would not have
come about without the encouragement of Tiemann and Professor of Natural
Resources and the Environment Stuart Grandy. Currently immersed in an
independent study on root decomposition with Dr. Grandy, Casazza says, “Stuart
takes time out of his busy schedule to give me personalized attention, and has
always supported me in furthering myself academically. Both he and Lisa are
enthusiastic about my doing my own relevant research.”

Tiemann and Casazza will stay at the Makare Biological Field
Station in Uganda from June until August, travelling throughout areas around
Kibale National Park to take multiple soil samples and interview people
regarding their agricultural practices. Due to limited resources for
agricultural land, Ugandans are forced to rely on fertile soil to yield two or
three crops a year without the practice of fallowing fields. In addition,
chemical fertilizer is unaffordable to most farmers in rural areas that lack
the infrastructure for its transport. The researchers will ship soil samples
from key areas back to UNH for in-depth analysis in the fall.

Next September, Casazza will rejoin the team at the Grandy
Lab to test the samples for various nitrogen and phosphorous levels, microbial
biomass, mineralization rates, and more. “One of the best parts of my work is
going to a lab meeting and seeing the data I’ve been working on for weeks,”
says Casazza. “I can see it all coming together into something relevant, which
will – hopefully – have a positive impact on our knowledge and influence
agricultural practices.”